What do i add to my alcohol fuel for my flamethrower, to make the flames brighter?
Hi Im working on a flamethrower which is turning out pretty well, the only issue is, since im using alcohol as the fuel, the flames are pretty much invisible, i was wondering what i could add to increase the carbon content. Normally ide experiment with adding a little gasoline, or diesel to it, but i have to be careful with my pump, its made from either ABS or PLA, and for some reason everyone on ebay who sells them are very sketchy, ive bought 4 in the past and only the last one ever arrived.
Anyway, what can i add to my fuel to make its flame more visible?
Fortunately my flamethrower does not leak at all so its safe to move up from alcohol to something with a higher burning temp.
What can i add that will not dissolve the plastic, increase flame brightness, and not increase the burn temp too much.
Before hydrocarbons, are there any salts or chemicals i can dissolve into the alcohol to do this? i beleive i can dilute the alcohol a bit with water so it will take sodium, but will that have any significant effect?
The sun is pretty bright here so alcohol flames are invisible, gasoline flames however are very visible in contrast.
Thanks
Comments
Best Answer 8 years ago
Your playing with fire here and making something that in most countries is illegal. I won't even go into the danger
Answer 8 years ago
Well not in australia, you can buy them at some hardware stores here, they are used for weeding.
an Alcohol flamethrower is safer than a jet lighter, the alcohol is very difficult to ignite and the flames are pretty much useless for anything more than making an impressive flame, however if the flame is invisible then the whole thing is useless.
I know the danger, but i want to know how i can make the flame brighter, not discuss what i already know.
Answer 8 years ago
Ah not the type of flame thrower I was thinking about - A weed eater is just a big blow lamp. Although I have no experience of using or building a flame thrower I do know that putting paraffin or diesel into a flame makes it yellow.
Many chemical salts will colour flames:
Copper = green potassium - red Cobalt - Blue
From Wukipedia
As Arsenic Blue
B Boron Bright green
Ba Barium Pale/Apple green
Ca Calcium Brick red
Cs Caesium Blue-Violet
Cu(I) Copper(I) Bluish-green
Cu(II) Copper(II) (non-halide) Green Flame test on copper sulfate
Cu(II) Copper(II) (halide) Blue-green
Fe Iron Gold
In Indium Blue
K Potassium Lilac
Li Lithium Red
Mn (II) Manganese (II) Yellowish green
Mo Molybdenum Yellowish green
Na Sodium Intense yellow
P Phosphorus Pale bluish green
Pb Lead Blue/White
Ra Radium Crimson red
Rb Rubidium Red-violet
Sb Antimony Pale green
Se Selenium Azure blue
Sr Strontium Crimson
Te Tellurium Pale green
Tl Thallium Pure green
Zn Zinc Colorless (sometimes reported as bluish-green)
Answer 8 years ago
NOTE: Information only.
What you do with that information is YOUR responsibility in no way am I encouraging you to build. use or even consider a flame thrower in any form or option.
Answer 8 years ago
thankyou, however those salts will only alter the colour, i need to increase the intensity as well. Any ideas for anything i can add without seriously reducing the likelyhood of the spray taking an arc?
If this will put your mind at rest the flamethrower is already built, im just asking about fuel additives :)
Answer 8 years ago
Not really - sorry outside my area of expertise at this point..
What d you use it for?
Answer 7 years ago
like i said before, novelty purposes. just to use it for a cool effect, i mean really other than setting people and objects alight, what could any flamethrower be used for?